SYDNEY: Two people were rescued on Tuesday from a yacht that was stranded off Australia's east coast.
Authorities on Tuesday morning successfully rescued two sailors who were aboard the Spirit of Mateship yacht when it started taking on water amid rough conditions off the coast of the state of New South Wales (NSW) on Monday afternoon, reports Xinhua news agency.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it received a distress beacon from the 19-meter yacht approximately 185 km from NSW's coast in the Tasman Sea at 1 p.m. local time on Monday.
A multi-agency major rescue operation involving AMSA, NSW Police and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) was launched, and several helicopters made contact with the vessel on Monday but could not rescue the sailors due to fuel considerations.
A NSW Police vessel reached the yacht in the early hours of Tuesday morning and rescued a 60-year-old man and 48-year-old woman uninjured with the assistance of the Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Canberra.
AMSA said initial rescue efforts were abandoned on Monday night due to winds of up to 90 km per hour and five-metre seas.
A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-130J Hercules aircraft stayed on the scene until 9 p.m. on Monday but was forced to return to base.
Police said earlier that the yacht is believed to have sustained a mechanical issue and was taking on water.
The sailors are expected to reach land on the NSW Police vessel late on Tuesday night.
The Spirit of Mateship has participated in several races since it was launched in 2013, including the prestigious annual Sydney to Hobart.